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JUNCTION IN HOPE VALLEY BACK TO YOU. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU BRIAN. LET’S GO BACK INTO CORONAVUSIR COVERAGE NOW IN THE FDA ADVISORY COMMITTEE IS RECOMMENDING BOOSTER SHOTS FOR VARIOUS GROUPS. THERE ARE A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT THIRD DOSE OF PFIZER MAGIRNA AND JOHNSON & JOHNSON SHOTS DR. JOHN WHITE IS THE CHIEF MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF WEBMD, AND HE’S JOINING US NOW TO TALK MORE ABOUT THE GUIDANCE. THANKS FOR JOINING US. GOOD MORNING. IT’S GREAT TO BE WITH YOU AGAIN. WELL, LET’S TALK ABOUT THESE BOOSTERS WHERE DO WE SND WHOTA CAN GET ONE RIGHT NOW AND WHO IS IN THE RUNNING FOR IT? ON THEM LINE SO RIGHT NOW ANYONE THAT’S IMMUNOCOMPROMISED THEY’VE BEEN ELIGIEBL FOR BOTH PFIZER OR MODERNA AS A BOOSTER THAT OCCURRED A FEW MONTHS AGO. PFIZER THOSE FOLKS WHO’VE GOT PFIZER WHO ARE 65 EARS OF AGE ENTER WHO ARE OLDER THAN 18ND A HAVE UNDERLYING HEALTH CONDITIONS OR INVOLVED IN OCCUPATION SUCH AS GROCERY STORE WORKERS CLINICIANSND A HEALTHCARE COMMUNITY. THEY ALSO ARE ELIGIBLE AND THEY’VE ALREADY BEEN GETTING BOOSTERS NOW IF YOU GOT MADAER WE’RE STILL WAITING FOR FINAL DECISION. THAT’S GOING TO MIRROR. I THINK EXACTLY THE SAME POPULATION AS PFIZER, BUT HERE’S AN IMPORTANT POINT. IT’S HALF THE DOSE. AND THAT’S PROBAYBL BECAUSE PFIZER WAS NOT AS STRONG PROBABLY AS MODERNA MODERNA IS PROBABLY BEEN A LITTLE MEOR INTENSE OF AN IMMUNE RESPONSE. SO I EXPECT THAT WE’LL HEAR MORE ON THAT THIS WEEK THE CDC SUPPOSED TO MEET WEDNEAYSD OR THURSDAY WHEN J&J THIS IS WHERE IT GETS CONFUSING, RIGHT? TH AT’S FOR ANYONE THAT GOT THE JOHNSON & JOHNSON VACCINE 18 YESAR OF AGE AND OLDER ABOUT 15 MILLION PEOPLE. YOU PROBABLY SHOULD BE READY TO GET A BOOST IF YOU GOTTEN THE J&J VACCINE. THERE’’ NOT GOING TO BE ANY CAVEATS ABOUT AGE OR UNDERLYING CONDITIONSR O OCCUPAION. THAT’S FOR ANYONE HOW MUCH FRIENDS WHO GOT FIVE ARE LOOKING AT MODERNA’S EFFICACY NUMBERS. THEY’RE LIKE, WELL, I WANT SOME OF THAT MODERNA. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE MATCHING OF IT? YEAH, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE MIXING AND MATCHING IS MORE IF YOU GOT THE JOHNSON & JOHNSON VACCINE AND MAYBE GET VISORR O MADERA. I GOT THE MODERNA. SO I’M STICKING WITH WHAT I GOT. I THINK IF YOU GOT VISORHE TY’RE PRETTY MUCH THE SAME VACCINE PFIZER AND MODERNA SO I’D STICK WITH THAT, ESPECIALLY SINCE MODERNA IS GOING TO BE HALF THE DOSE. THE J&J THOUGH IN TERMS OF MIXING AND MCHINGAT YOU MIGHT GET A FOUR TIMES IMMUNE RESPONSE FROM A BOOST FROM J&J, BUT FOR PFIZER YOU’RE GETTING A 35 TIMES INCREASE IN IMMUNE PROTECTION IN TERMS OF THE NUMBER OF ANTIBODIES WITH MODERN OR YOU’RE GETTING 70 TIMES. SO YOU REALLY WANT TO THINK ABOUT HAVING TO DISCUSSION WITH YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT MAYBE MIXING AND MATCHING. THERE’S NO RECOMMENDATION ABOUT IT, BUT WE’R’ SEEING REAR-WORLD EVIDENCE IN PRACTICE AROUND THE WODRL SOME BENEFIT TO THAT WE HAVE ABOUT A MINUTE LEFT. MAY I ASK YOU YOUR THOUGHTS IN THE PASSING OF COLON POWELL’S FAMILY CAME OUT WITH A STATEMENT TODAY SAYING HEAD H COVID COMPLICATIONS. NBC NEWS IS ALSO REPORTING. HE WAS DEALING WITH BLOOD CANCER AND HE WAS 84 YEARS OLD. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THE THINGS THAT PEOPLE SHOULD BE HEARING FROM FROM ALL OF THOSE SCENARIOS INTERACTING AT ONCE? YEAH, AND REALLY MY CONDOLENCES TO THE PAL FAMILY. WHAT A GREAT AMERICAN WHAT YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER IS USUALLY WE DON’T HEAR ABOUT THE UNDER HEALTH CONDITIONS, BUT THEY’VE ANNOUNCED THAT BECAUSE TYHE WANTED TO KNOW THAT SO HEREES WAS BATTLING MULTIPLE. MYELOMA A BLOOD CANCER WHICH COMPROMISES YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM. HAD PARKINSON’S DISEASE, WHICH ALSO PUTS YOU AT INCREASED RISK. SO ENVE THOUGH HE WAS FULLY VACCINATED. HE PROBABLYAD H LESS OF AN IMMUNE RESPONSE AND STILL HAD PROTECTI,ON BUT, YOU KNOW, SADLY CORONAVISRU LIKELY OVERWHELMED HIS IMMUNE SYSTEM AND I THINK THEY PUT THAT OUT THERE. THEY DON’T WANT PEOEPL TO THINK THAT YOU SHOULDN’T GET VACCINATED. HE GOT VACCINATED. HE DID ALL THE RIGHT THINGS, BUT UNFORTUNATELY, SOMETIMES YOUR HEALTH CONDITISON CAN WORK AGAINST YOU

Should you mix and match COVID-19 vaccines for your booster shot?

An advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration is recommending booster shots for various groups.There are many questions surrounding the extra dose of Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, also known as Janssen, shots. Dr. John Whyte is the chief medical director of WebMD. He spoke with sister station KCRA to talk about the latest guidance.Who can get a booster shot right now and who is in the running for it?Whyte: Right now anyone that’s immunocompromised, they’ve been eligible for both Pfizer or Moderna as a booster. That occurred a few months ago. Pfizer, those folks who’ve got Pfizer who are 65 years of age or older, who are older than 18 and have underlying health conditions or involved in occupations such as grocery store workers, clinicians, in the health care community — they also are eligible and they’ve already been getting boosters. Now if you got Moderna, we’re still waiting for final decision. That’s going to mirror I think exactly the same population as Pfizer. But here’s an important point. It’s half the dose and that’s probably because Pfizer was not as strong probably as Moderna. Moderna has probably been a little more intense of an immune response. So I expect that we’ll hear more on that this week. The CDC is supposed to meet Wednesday and Thursday. With J&J, this is where it gets confusing, right? That’s for anyone that got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine 18 years of age and older — about 15 million people. You probably should be ready to get a boost if you’ve gotten the J&J vaccine. There’s not going to be any caveats about age or underlying conditions or occupation. That’s for anyone.What are your thoughts on mixing and matching vaccines?Whyte: I think the mixing and matching is more if you got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and maybe get Pfizer or Moderna. I got the Moderna so I’m sticking with what I got. I think if you got Pfizer they’re pretty much the same vaccine, Pfizer and Moderna, so I’d stick with that, especially since Moderna is going to be half the dose. The J&J though, in terms of mixing and matching you might get a four times the immune response from a boost from J&J. But for Pfizer, you’re getting a 35-times increase in immune protection in terms of the number of antibodies. With Moderna, you’re getting 70 times. So you really want to think about having a discussion with your doctor about maybe mixing and matching. There’s no recommendation about it. But we’re seeing some real-world evidence in practice around the world, some benefit to that.Watch the video above to learn more about this story.

An advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration is recommending booster shots for various groups.

There are many questions surrounding the extra dose of Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, also known as Janssen, shots. Dr. John Whyte is the chief medical director of WebMD. He spoke with sister station KCRA to talk about the latest guidance.

Who can get a booster shot right now and who is in the running for it?

Whyte: Right now anyone that’s immunocompromised, they’ve been eligible for both Pfizer or Moderna as a booster. That occurred a few months ago. Pfizer, those folks who’ve got Pfizer who are 65 years of age or older, who are older than 18 and have underlying health conditions or involved in occupations such as grocery store workers, clinicians, in the health care community — they also are eligible and they’ve already been getting boosters.

Now if you got Moderna, we’re still waiting for final decision. That’s going to mirror I think exactly the same population as Pfizer. But here’s an important point. It’s half the dose and that’s probably because Pfizer was not as strong probably as Moderna. Moderna has probably been a little more intense of an immune response. So I expect that we’ll hear more on that this week. The CDC is supposed to meet Wednesday and Thursday. With J&J, this is where it gets confusing, right? That’s for anyone that got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine 18 years of age and older — about 15 million people. You probably should be ready to get a boost if you’ve gotten the J&J vaccine. There’s not going to be any caveats about age or underlying conditions or occupation. That’s for anyone.

What are your thoughts on mixing and matching vaccines?

Whyte: I think the mixing and matching is more if you got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and maybe get Pfizer or Moderna. I got the Moderna so I’m sticking with what I got. I think if you got Pfizer they’re pretty much the same vaccine, Pfizer and Moderna, so I’d stick with that, especially since Moderna is going to be half the dose. The J&J though, in terms of mixing and matching you might get a four times the immune response from a boost from J&J.

But for Pfizer, you’re getting a 35-times increase in immune protection in terms of the number of antibodies. With Moderna, you’re getting 70 times. So you really want to think about having a discussion with your doctor about maybe mixing and matching. There’s no recommendation about it. But we’re seeing some real-world evidence in practice around the world, some benefit to that.

Watch the video above to learn more about this story.